Paella

Paella is traditionally cooked in a very large pan which can be set over a couple of burners on your stove, turning regularly so that there is even cooking. I used my large Sunbeam family banquet electric frying pan on low setting (2). Paella differs from risotto in that you are not meant to stir while it is cooking. The lid is left off and a crust is meant to form around the bottom and outside(called the socarrat). It is covered at the end of cooking to allow the rice on top to finish cooking.

Here's a great article about cooking paella from Rick Stein: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/homestyle/blogs/tried-and-tasted/rick-steins-paella-party-food-20110907-1jwne.html

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 onions chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

Sliced Chorizo sausage

1 -2 red peppers, finely chopped

2-3 tomatoes, finely chopped

3-4 teaspoons smoky paprika

2 cups Arborio rice (or Calasparra rice if you can get it)

6 cups stock (or boiling water and 3 teaspoons chicken stock powder)

2 teaspoons salt

750g marinara seafood mix

6 chicken drumsticks (optional, reduce quantity of seafood mix to 500g)

1 cup frozen peas, thawed and cooked

Method:

Heat oil in pan and gently fry onion, garlic and chorizo sausage and chicken. Remove sausage and chicken to a bowl when cooked. (You could put the chicken in the oven to continue cooking while you make the paella). Now add peppers, tomatoes and paprika and cook gently stirring to make a sauce (called the sofrito). Then stir in the rice and allow it to absorb some of the sauce for a couple of minutes and then add the stock and salt. Now allow the rice to cook for 5-7 mins. Next add the marinara mix and leave to cook a few minutes until cooked through. Finish by adding the peas and reserved sausage and chicken, turning off the pan and covering with foil. Leave to rest a few minutes before serving.

Mine didn't dry out as much as it should have done, and I probably stirred it too much, being afraid of it sticking given the uneven nature of the pan's heating element. Nonetheless it was very tasty and for once everybody liked it.

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Wholemeal Cheese Scones

Felt inspired to cook these yesterday to go with some homemade pumpkin soup. The recipe is based on one by Rose Elliot from her book "Cheap and Easy", a vegetarian recipe book published in 1988. The resulting scone has a wonderful crunch, partly owing to the added sunflower seeds.

Ingredients:

1 lb (450g) wholemeal self raising flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp dry mustard powder
3 oz (75g) (or 3 heaped dessertspoons) margarine
2 eggs beaten
about half a cup of milk (mix with eggs to make up to 300 ml )
5-6oz (125-150g) grated cheese
about half a cup sunflower seeds


Method:

Preheat oven to 220C. Rub the margarine into the combined flour, baking powder and mustard in a large bowl. Stir in about two thirds of the grated cheese and the sunflower seeds followed by the combined egg and milk mixture to form quite a stiff dough. Tip dough out onto a lined baking tray, and, using a little extra flour to prevent your hands getting too sticky, pat out the dough to a thickness of about 2 cm. Cut out scones and top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 10-15 mins until risen and cheese has melted. Makes about  16 scones. Any not eaten fresh may be frozen.

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Beef Casserole with Cheesy Dumplings/Scone Topping

The scone dumpling topping is amazing. You can change the veggies in the casserole as you wish, replace the red wine with stock or water, use different herbs e.g. fresh ones if available or add a few bay leaves. It can also be cooked in a slow cooker if preferred, but take care when transferring to the hot oven to cook the topping.

Ingredients:

olive oil
1kg chuck steak cut into chunks, visible fat removed
400g button mushrooms, quartered
2 large onions, sliced
1 red pepper, finely chopped
250g short cut bacon, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
400g can chopped tomatoes
400g can cherry tomatoes (or 1 and 1/2 cups vegetable stock)
2 glasses red wine
3 tablespoons wholemeal flour
1 tablespoon dried mixed herbs
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
3-4 carrots, peeled and chopped


Cheese Scone Dough:
2 cups self raising flour
80g  margarine
1/2 cup grated cheese + extra for topping
About 1/2 cup of chopped fresh parsley
3/4 cup milk
1 egg beaten (for glaze)


Method:

Heat some of the oil in a large casserole dish and brown half the meat on all sides. Remove to a plate and then add some more oil and brown the rest of the meat. Add this to the plate. Now add another 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and reduce heat to medium. Add the onion, mushrooms, garlic, red pepper and bacon to the pan. Stir and cook gently for a few minutes until the onion is softened. Return the meat to the pan. Now stir in the flour and herbs. Cook for a couple of minutes and then stir in the tomatoes, wine, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and stock (if using). Bring to the boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer gently for about 2 hours, stirring regularly. The carrots may be added with the tomatoes if there is room in the pan. I wait and add them after about an  hour of simmering. Add extra liquid e.g. stock or water if required, or leave off the lid to reduce liquid if the gravy is too runny near the end of cooking.

Meanwhile make the scones. Start by rubbing the margarine into the flour. Then stir in the cheese and parsley followed by the milk. Bring together as a thick dough. Form into balls (about 12) and place a layer of them into the top of  the dish. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with some more grated cheese. Place the uncovered casserole into a preheated oven (220C) and cook for about 15 minutes until the scones are risen and golden brown. Serve with mashed potatoes and a green vegetable such as Brussels sprouts or broccoli.

Tip: I make a double quantity of the scone dough and make an additional batch of cheese scones, which can be frozen for later use.

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